Plans were made. Some of them within ear shot of Spencer and Alice, other discussions took place away from them.

Lewis had sent someone to collect their belongings, and Spencer told him how to use the cell to make contact with the team, Agent Hotchner responding to him. As Spencer had predicted, Aaron asked to speak with both Spencer and Alice to confirm they were okay.

"We're fine" Spencer assured him.

"You've not been harmed?" came the voice down the speaker.

"Not massively" Spencer started to say before Lewis spoke over him.

"Spencer is unharmed. Alice, has been mildly injured. Rebecca slapped her face and she took a punch to her stomach....."

"And what else would you have let her do to me if Spencer hadn't come clean. I saw the knife Lewis" Alice spat out.

Lewis looked shocked, his eyes wide and as Spencer looked at him he realised that he hadn't known she was going to pull a blade on her.

"Alice.... She wasn't instructed to do that... "

"Yeah right. We all know who calls the shots around here..."

Lewis shook his head, repeating himself. "Rebecca was not instructed to do that to you. Rough you up a little yes, only enough to make Spencer cave. But I gave no order for her to put you in actual danger."

"Ally, he's telling the truth" Reid told her, intrigued by this turn of events. Rebecca was definitely more dangerous than they'd given her credit for.

"Alice, are you okay?" Aaron Hotchner spoke loudly to be heard by the three.

"I'm.... A bit bruised but no. I wasn't hurt badly."

"Agent Hotchner, your people will remain unharmed providing we're able to come to a suitable arrangement. I have no desire to cause unnecessary loss of life which is what I've been assured will happen if these two are injured."

"You are correct. If there is any indication that my two Agents have been hurt, then my team will take every single one of your family and residents down. We have no desire for that to happen either, but it will. We have more weapons and more man power than you do, and although we may suffer a loss ourselves, ultimately you will lose. I will make sure of that."

"I understand you and believe that you will make that happen. So let's talk, let us come to a peaceful arrangement."

Lewis regagged Spencer and Alice then and took the cell/radio away with him leaving them alone again. Eric came into the room after around an hour, bringing water and food again.

"Eric, I need the toilet" Alice told him. Spencer had seen her fidgeting uncomfortably for a while now.

"Erm... I'll... I'll fetch Rebecca."

"No. Fetch Lewis, where is he?"

"Meeting your boss."

"What?"

"Alice it's normal. In hostage situations often the people doing the negotiating will meet to show good faith in each other" Reid spoke to her, ungagged again as Eric offered him a drink.

"Eric, you could let us go" Ally all begged.

"I can't."

"Yes, you can."

"Alice, I can't. Trust me, I can't. You have just a few more hours to wait if everything goes to plan. Just... Sit tight. And if you need the toilet, I can bring a bucket in. But we can't give you any privacy to go. You'll have to do it here, in front of us all, because I can't risk you trying anything."

"I'll wait.. For Lewis."

...

Lewis returned after one hour and forty minutes, checking in on them both. By that time though, Alice who had already been desperate to go when she'd spoke up, hadn't been able to wait any longer and was now sitting in her own urine.

Spencer had felt bad for her, smelling the ammonia as it had left her body and hearing a sniffle coming from her. She refused to look at Reid for a while, shifting in her chair, her damp pajama bottoms clinging to her.

Lewis had reiterated Eric's words to them, it wouldn't be long, and Spencer wondered what had been agreed upon and what plans Hotch and the team were putting into place.

...

Alice had been made to change her bottoms, her hands unbound and then the ropes retied before both her and Spencer were escorted through the compound to the two minivans that Lewis told them had been sent in by the FBI. The vans were loaded with bags and various belongings, and Alice could see a young woman with a small child in her arms waiting by one.

When they reached the vehicles, Alice and Spencer were separated. Alice made to sit behind the drivers seat with Abby strapped in next to her. It was uncomfortable being buckled in with her wrists bound in front of her, and she could feel the curious eyes of the child sat next to her. Abby didn't say anything and neither did Alice, choosing instead to focus on the young woman who was tearfully hugging Eric. This must be Jo, his match, and his child.

"We'll send for you all when we're settled, Lewis promises it won't be too long" Alice could hear snippets of the conversation through the open drivers side door.

Where were they going? Spencer and Alice hadn't been told the full details, only that they were being taken to be exchanged and that this would all be over soon.

Alice watched as Eric climbed in next to Spencer, followed by the ex lawyer Nicholas and Oliver. Lewis and Rebecca were stood around waiting, when finally Charlie showed up with one last bag in his hands. Words were exchanged between the three and eventually Lewis climbed into the vehicle with Spencer in it, with Rebecca and Charlie climbing into hers, Charlie unto the drivers seat.

He turned around, handing Abby a bottle with coloured liquid inside it and her eyes lit up.

"My favourite, thanks Charlie" she said quietly, taking a long sip.

"You're welcome Abs" he turned the engine on and waited for the first vehicle to pull away, following behind closely.

When the vans reached the main road an hour or so later, they were joined in the front and back by what Spencer recognised as government issued cars. They were being escorted somewhere. He just didn't know where and whilst he knew he had to trust his team, he hated being blind here and not knowing. He also felt extremely uneasy at the fact that he and Alice had been separated and that she was in the same vehicle as Rebecca Olson. That woman had serious issues with Alice, although the fact that Abby was in the same car put paid to his concerns that anything was going to happen to her.

...

Aaron and Dave followed the two minivans, keeping an open line with Derek and JJ who were at the air strip.

"You think this is going to work?" Rossi asked.

"Yes. Lewis is surprisingly trusting for a man in his position. All we need to do is get them to believe that the plane is ready to take off with them, and that we won't follow them or extradite them back to this country. Convincing the ex lawyer they have was a bit of a push... "

"But you did it. You realise there's a chance this won't go down how we've hoped and that they'll turn on us once we have Alice and Spencer and they realise we have no intention of letting them leave."

"I'm fully aware of that, I have to be. I know they'll have bought weapons even though Lewis has been instructed not to. And I know this could end badly and that there's a child with them. But what other choice did we have? We'll catch them off guard, the plan will start to move up the runway slowly before encountering technical problems and then stopping."

"And that's where TJ will be waiting with his team?"

Aaron nodded. He'd called in to favour with his contact TJ in the US Army. The end of the runway where the small plane will be forced to stop would be lined with tanks from the local military base and soldiers. That plane would not be taking off and hopefully, the presence of the Army would make Lewis and his group think twice about trying anything and they'd surrender.

Officers and Agents had already descended on the camp, taking the residents into custody for questioning and witness statements. They just needed to to wait out the next part of the plan to get Reid and Alice back.